A former Roman colony, Libya is a mostly desert country
which saw invasions by Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Turks and more
recently Italians before gaining independence in 1951.

Oil was discovered in 1959, and with it the country was
transformed into a wealthy monarchy. Ten years later, though, the king
was overthrown in a coup led by the 27-year-old Mu'ammar Gaddafi, and
the country embarked on a radically new chapter in its history.

Gaddafi's revolution has been based largely on
distinguishing his country from the world around it. Ideas put forward
in his Green Book aim at an alternative to both communism and
capitalism, while Islam is adhered to but with a unique slant - Libya
has its own calendar based on Muhammad's birth, for example.

Gaddafi called the new system a jamahiriya, loosely
translated as a "state of the masses". Power is held by various
people's committees, while in practice Gaddafi rules unopposed.

Libya was blamed for the Lockerbie bombing, and two
Libyans suspected of organising the incident were handed over in 1999
for trial in The Hague under Scottish law. Relations between Libya and
Western countries subsequently improved. In January 2001 one of the
suspects was found guilty of killing 270 people in the bombing.

Mu'ammar Gaddafi was born in the desert near Sirte in
1942. He overthrew the monarchy in 1969 and launched a cultural
revolution to remove traces of imported ideology. He has supported a
broad range of militant groups including the IRA and the Palestine
Liberation Organisation. Alleged Libyan involvement in attacks in
Europe in 1986 led to US military strikes against Tripoli. For several
decades Gaddafi tried to portray himself as leader of the Arab world,
and has now taken up the mission of uniting Africa.

The state owns and controls the media and the
authorities do not permit the publication of opinions contrary to
government policy. Some international publications are available, but
authorities routinely censor them and may prohibit their entry into the
country.

The Libyan Jamahiriyah Broadcasting Corporation is the national broadcaster. There are no privately-owned radio or TV stations.

The external radio service was renamed the Voice of
Africa in October 1998, to reflect Libya's change in political
orientation towards Africa and away from the Middle East and Arab
world.